Sharia Law and Islamic Democracy - Daniel Pipes

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/04/15/Is_Islam_Compatible_With_Democracy

Middle East Forum Director Daniel Pipes criticizes the role of Sharia Law in many radical Islamic movements, identifying this concept as one of the greatest obstacles to democratic reforms in Muslim societies.

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In Islam, Allah is the ultimate authority. In democracy, authority ultimately lies with the people. But does this mean that Islam is incompatible with democracy?

After all, it was Islamic scholarship that introduced ancient Greek conceptions of democracy to the feudal states of Europe.

Despite this, it has been suggested that the differences between Islam (especially when given political form) and the liberal democracies of the West are so great as to represent a 'clash of civilisations'.

But is this so? Is an approach in which society is ordered according the will of God compatible with one in which the will of the people reigns supreme? - Intelligence Squared Australia

Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and a prize-winning columnist who writes for the New York Times Syndicate. His website, DanielPipes.org, is one of the most accessed internet sources of specialized information on the Middle East and Islam.

Pipes received his AB (1971) and PhD (1978) in History from Harvard University and spent six years studying abroad, including three years in Egypt. Mr Pipes speaks French and reads Arabic and German. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, the US Naval War College, and Pepperdine University. Pipes also served in various capacities in the US Government, including two presidentially-appointed positions: vice chairman of the Fulbright Board of Foreign Scholarships and member of the board of the US Institute of Peace. He was director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute in 1986-93.

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[blackmore4]

@khalilrabee I understand very well. You, on the other hand seem to know nothing of the Quranic 'science' of 'Nasikh wa-Mansukh, (the abrogators and the abrogated). Even the vast majority of Islamic scholars agree that the later 'Medinian' verses supersede the earlier Meccan ones. Interesting...

Mohammed in Mecca: Peaceful and laughed out of town.

Mohammed in Medina: Barbaric, militarily successful and force-indoctrinator of the biggest lie in history.

Wake up.

[felisagnosticus]

The only part I can oppose about this clearly spoken subject is that modernising Islam is not an option we Turkish atheists wish. But considering lesser of two evils, I would prefer such a modernization to the direction we're heading right now. Thank you for this video.

[felisagnosticus]

Daniel Pipes has a much better understanding of the Islamıc danger than most of the intellectuals we have here in Turkey. Although Sharia is not an issue in Turkey (yet) in theoretical means, we are emphatically moving towards that direction.

[Munzer1977]

Islam is only faith that give full rights to women and the first to fight slavery...don't be fool with the suite and the tie

[Munzer1977]

this man is bullshitting his audience. he is clueless about Sharia ....I am not kidding. he is insulting the intelligence of his audience.

[pmoyer50]

The phrase islamic democracy is an oxymoron.

[atr222]

@keeramtookoran shut up nigger

[whitechristian1066]

DANIEL PIPES is a FUCKING EVIL ZIONIST Anti-Christ!

FUCK HIM & his FAKE HOLO-HOAX!

The (Mary & Jesus) HATING ZIONISTS will PAY for their ANTI-Christian & ANTI-White HATE! DIRTY KIKES!

[ghylltarvoke]

what ever drugs mr pipes is on i want some

[narutoo225]

Mr. Pipes said something really interesting...in order for Islam to better itself than they must eliminate deadly Jihad for none believers...I really wished someone as educated at Pipes could understand that Islam in its core definition means PEACE. The reason terrorism exists is because of radical men who "take from Islam what they want and leave wat they don`t" now Mr. Pipes or anyone for that matter please explain to me how the illegal military occupation of Palestine not an act of terrorism.

[LancsISOC]

@msbensucks

Sorry, you were getting a rise out of someone?